Conspicuous consumption of music, live and otherwise.

September 30, 2006

Out on the links.

A fascinating discovery this afternoon, via Anne-Carolyn: Mezzo-soprano Rinat Shaham has a blog, Singin'rin. It's not at all new, but I'd never come upon it before. Shaham is currently appearing in Carmen at New York City Opera through October 22 (the dishy photo at left shows her singing the role in Montreal, June 2005). And for her first two performances, she was quite sick, and apparently didn't sing up to her usual standard. On her blog, Shaham not only reflects upon her decision to perform under less than peak conditions, but also reacts to the reviews that followed her first two dates. It's some provocative stuff; don't miss the comments.

Speaking of City Opera, the company added another "Opera-for-All" performance of its current Bohème on Friday, October 6. All of the tickets, which were priced at a meager $25 apiece, have already been sold. Even if this wasn't a terrific production with a solid, attractive cast -- which it is -- I'd find this news quite welcome.

While I'm in a linking frame of mind, let me welcome my old friend Brian Olewnick's Just Outside to the blogroll. I'm certain that Brian must have mentioned his blog over a fabulous Chinese lunch with me and Pete "Word of Mouth" Cherches a few weeks ago, but somehow it failed to register. If you follow the world of electroacoustic improvisation (EAI) at all, you've no doubt come upon Brian's writing at Bagatellen, The Squid's Ear or the All Music Guide. Few writers have managed to capture the gist of this musical scene and elucidate it so clearly and approachably as Brian, who also explains some of the challenges in covering this music accurately in this post. I'm looking forward to following Just Outside, much as I'm looking forward to Brian's in-the-works biography of AMM guitarist Keith Rowe, one of the major players in this genre.

Is there anything we can do to convince Christina Linklater not to shut down St. Botolph's Town? If you're a fan, go post a comment.

Finally, I'd find Mwanji's catalog of superheroes and the music they listen to irresistable even if I weren't named in it. I do beg to differ on one point, however: Captain America may in fact be a square, but he's a Glenn Miller man through and through -- as one might expect of any American soldier frozen in an iceberg during World War Two. When he lightens up -- which is seldom -- he dances a wicked Lindy.